The name Joel (Hebrew = Yo'el) means "Yahweh is God." He was
the son of a man named Pethuel (or Bethuel in the Septuagint) which
means "the open-heartedness or sincerity of God." Whether Joel received his name at
birth, or was given this name later as a result of his ministry, is unknown.

Joel lived and prophesied in the southern kingdom of Judah. He very likely was a resident
of the city of Jerusalem. He makes frequent reference to Judah & Jerusalem (2:32; 3:1, 17-18, 20),
to their citizens (3:6, 8, 19), to Zion (2:1, 15, 32; 3:17, 21) and its children (2:23). He also
shows great familiarity with the Temple and its ministry (1:9, 13-14, 16; 2:14, 17; 3:18). He
was also intimately acquainted with the geography and history of the land (1:2; 3:2-8, 12, 14, 18).

Some scholars have suggested his familiarity with the Temple service may indicate he was a
priest, or the son of a priest. Others speculate "his castigation of the priests suggests he
was not a member of their caste." Little is known about this man, except for what can
be gleaned from the book itself. Although 13 other persons in the OT writings bear the name
Joel, he cannot be identified with any of them.

"Joel was a man of vitality and spiritual maturity. A keen discerner of the times, he delivered
God's message to the people of Judah in a vivid and impassioned style, with a precision and
originality of thought that served as a veritable quarry out of which many subsequent prophetic
building stones were to be hewn" (Expositor's Bible Commentary).

DATE

There is great disagreement among scholars as to the dating of this book. Theories range from
the 9th century to the 4th century BC. Some have even sought to date it as late as the
Maccabean Period (during the so-called Intertestimental Period). The problem -- no
date is given in the heading of the book, nor is there any explicit reference within the body
of the work itself. The major theories are:

Post-exilic --- The captivities of God's people have ended. The
exiles have returned to their homeland. The Temple has been rebuilt. This view calls for
a date in the mid-4th century BC.

Pre-exilic --- Three general positions have been advanced by
those who assign a pre-exilic date to Joel. They are:

Early Pre-exilic --- A 9th century date. It is felt the situations
depicted within the book point best to the time of the boy-king Joash (835-796 BC), who began
his rule through the regency of the high priest Jehoiada.

Middle Pre-exilic --- An early 8th century date. An extensive
defense of this view is given in The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Vol. 7, p. 231-233.

Late Pre-exilic --- A 7th century date. This view seeks to find a link
with the prophet Jeremiah, and to harmonize the literary forms and religious outlooks of the
two prophets.

The most likely and logical of these theories is the Early Pre-exilic, which would
date the prophecy of Joel from about 835 BC on. For an excellent defense of this view see ---
A Survey of Old Testament Introduction by Gleason L. Archer, Jr., p. 304-307.

OCCASION

The land has been devastated by a locust plague. Drought, famine and fires follow in the
wake of the locust plague. This is far more than just a natural disaster -- it is
also a national disaster! Almost every aspect of community life has been affected.
The economy of the land has been all but ruined. The whole nation has ground to a halt.
Even the religious life of the community is threatened through the shortage of offerings.

Joel sees a link between this natural/national disaster and a time of coming judgment from
the Lord God --- the Day of the Lord. Not only was this locust plague an actual
judgment from God, but it warned of an even greater impending judgment against the
people of God --- when the enemy would not be armies of locust, but armies of men!

This concept of further judgment also led Joel to reveal God's intention for the last
days --- the ultimate coming of God in judgment at the end of time.

USE OF JOEL IN THE NT

"While this is one of the briefest books in the OT, it is at the same time one of the most
profound. Both in its grasp of the relationship between historical events and the suprahistorical
expectation of the day of the Lord, and also in its impact on early Christian theology, its
influence has hardly been proportionate to its size" (New Layman's Bible Commentary).

In Acts 2:16f the apostle Peter states that the things the people were witnessing on the
day of Pentecost had been spoken of by the prophet Joel (Joel 2:28-29).

Joel refers to the natural/national disaster of the locust and tells the people this is to be a
warning to them so that they might repent. This disaster heralded the Day of the Lord
which could only be averted by genuine repentance. If they repented, this day of judgment would
come upon their enemies rather than upon themselves.

"The book is an appeal from Jehovah to the people to seek Him through repentance. Out
of this repentance there would come material blessings followed by an outpouring of
spiritual blessings" (Homer Hailey). Joel has often been called the Prophet of
Pentecost because of his reference to spiritual blessings.

Other major messages of the book of Joel are:

God is sovereignly guiding the affairs of earth's history toward His preconceived final
goal --- 1:15; 2:1-4, 18, 20, 25-27, 28-32; 3:1-21. He is a God of grace and mercy --- 2:13, 18.
A God of lovingkindness and compassion --- 2:13. A God of justice --- 3:1-8, 12-13.

Mere externalism in worship to God is insufficient --- 2:12-13.

When sin becomes the dominant condition of God's people, they must be judged. God
may use natural disasters, or political means, to accomplish the chastisement of His
people. For those who repent there will be the blessings of a restored fellowship.

"Integral to all Joel's prophecy is his teaching about the Day of the Lord. By the
skillful use of this term, which gives cohesion to his entire message, Joel demonstrated
that God is sovereignly operative in all that comes to pass, directing all things to their
appointed end" (Expositor's Bible Commentary).

God had abundantly blessed Judah, but the people had taken God and His blessings for
granted. Their faith had degenerated into an empty formalism and their lives into moral
decadence. "Under divine inspiration Joel told the people that the locust plague was a
warning of a greater judgment that was imminent unless they repented and returned to full
fellowship with God. If they did, God would abundantly pardon them, restore the health of
the land, and give them again the elements needed to offer the sacrifices. The ceremonial
system was designed to express a heart relationship with God. By their sin they had
forfeited any right to religious ceremony" (Expositor's Bible Commentary).